Masayuki Sakamoto
Physical Description For Masa, at least at one point, outdoor trekking was out of his element. A measly 5'6", Masa could never match the physical prowess of his contemporaries. In the course of the years following his arrival in Los Angeles, when he had been little more than a wiry bookworm, Masa had become much fitter than he had ever been, thanks to the effects of constantly being in a dangerous combat environment, as well as conscious efforts to build muscle strength, and raising a foster son. His hair, jet black with very faint streaks of gray, is normally kept relatively short, and he sports a mustache and beard combination that seems to never go away. On occasion, he has let his hair grow almost to his shoulder, and his beard grow longer, especially in times of great stress. Typically, he keeps himself as clean as he can, which doesn't quite say much about the standards of the day. Being mostly outside of combat, he's exchanged a rifle for a token sidearm, and his grandfather's sword from the Second World War. The majority of his personal belongings are kept within Tac-Rec's aid station: most of his worn gear is designed for supplies and medical equipment. His pouches are filled with basic necessities that he can give out to needy refugees, such as bandages food, and so forth. Ultimately, Masa appears older than he actually is. Life has not been kind to Masa, and heavy amounts of stress of leading two separate squads, while raising 3 children have placed unhealthy levels of stress on the once young and cheerful medic. Biography Despite how open Masa can be, he speaks very little about his upbringing, largely in order to prevent anyone from discovering the location of Tac-Rec's Headquarters. Childhood Years Masa was born in an abandoned mining town within the forests of British Columbia. After Judgement Day, several of these towns had been re-purposed as settlements for survivors from the larger cities. His parents, both first-generation Japanese immigrants, knew very little English, and as a result, his primary language while growing up was Japanese. After the machines appeared in 2011, the Sakamotos were forced to move out of their old town to Lake Carter, the name for the base of operations of Tactical-Reconnaissance, the Resistance branch of the Pacific-Northwest Sector. Isolated and deep within the Canadian wilderness, Lake Carter acted as a fortress town of sorts to several small farmers within the area who provided food and livestock in exchange for security and commodities. At the age of 12, Masa enrolled in the Young Pathfinders, a program created by Tactical-Reconnaissance to adequately educate children for survival in the post-nuclear world, as well as training to fight the machine menace. As the boy became a teenager, he expressed a desire to become a doctor, and worked closely . His father, himself a surgeon in the bunker hospital, wanted his firstborn son to pursue a more active role in the Resistance, but eventually relented. Throughout his childhood and teenage years, it was exceptionally difficult for Masa to communicate adequately, as his parents had not been able to teach him English. It was a handicap he never truly overcame, his accent and spotty access to slang and idioms creating a form of English that varied wildly between incredibly stilted and flowing. While he remained on mostly good terms with the other children, he only truly possessed a few friends, one of whom spoke Japanese and the rest being incrediblt patient children. The Fifth Squadron His first, and so far current, assignment was to the 5th Squadron, commanded by the cantankerous veteran Seth Hunt. The 5th was then given orders to deploy to Southern California, and cooperate with the local Resistance group, Tech-Comm. Hunt was initially uncertain about the squad's only medical specialist. Indeed, at the time, Masa was little more than a scrawny, optimistic bookworm who had never been in a combat environment. However, Hunt would soon form a very close bond with Masa, as Hunt had recently learned of the disappearance of his own son (Jack Hunt was confirmed to be dead in late 2029). Although Masa was stubborn, insistent that he needed no help, he later learned to be patient and to trust his squadmates like no other. Approximately a month after the 5th Squadron departed from Lake Carter, they arrived in the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. While Tech-Comm's command was aware of their mission, lower ranks and other refugees looked upon them with relative scorn, following the demise of a small armed group less than 2 months before. However, as time passed, they began to look upon Masa, Hunt, and the other members of the 84th with total respect, as they stood true to their nickname, "The Saints." Masa continued to impress Tech-Comm's medical personnel, quite literally running to the scene whenever word was received of an injury. For a long time, it appears that Delta had requested his services, only for him to turn it down. After the departure of Seth Hunt, Masa was eventually made the Squad Leader, and even after Hunt's return, the 5th Squadron's progress (as well as the invention of the Hayashi-Hunt Hydroponic Protocol) was such that he was allowed to remain the Squad Leader. It was under Masa's command that the 84th's research was at its most productive. After repeated requests, including from John Connor himself, Masa agreed to join Tech-Comm's Delta Platoon, on the condition that he retain his ties to the 84th. Officially, Masa was the Tac-Rec liaison to Tech-Comm. Due to general ineptitude and absenteeism on the part of many of the Deltas, Masa found himself again rising up the ranks, within 8 months becoming the Lieutenant, after outgoing commander Alexandria Xanatos. He held the position for 2 months, after which he voluntarily resigned in order to assist the 4th Resistance Battalion in Nevada with Miles Bennet Dyson, Jr. His current status is sketchy, as he is rumored to have made the return journey to California on foot. Then, heavily bearded, he officially resigned his rank to Sergeant Aiko Natsumi, provisional Delta commander, then disappeared. Family Life Masa himself was immediately thrown into the world of responsibility shortly after his arrival, as he found himself caring for a Yui Takaoka, a blind, pregnant woman whose husband was killed the day she received word of her child. For many months, Masa attended to the highly vulnerable woman, who had previously been subject to rape and kidnapping attempts. However, Yui fell into a coma shortly after giving birth, and did not awaken for several months. Henceforth, Masa was left to care for little Oliver, who was named such after the copy of Oliver Twist that her husband had left on her bedside. Apart from various nurses who attempted to help Masa help the baby survive infancy, Masa personally carried the child with him, particularly after kidnapping attempts (two of which were meant to ferry the child to safety, the other to allow Oliver to feed with his still comatose mother). At the same time, the infant had come to regard Masa as his father, and would always do so even though Oliver was later informed of his biological father. During this time, Masa entered a relationship with Aiko Rapo. However, after less than a month, he was stranded in the desert following a helicopter crash, and did not return for almost 3 weeks. By that time, Masa had been listed as missing in action, presumed dead, and Aiko left him for the first incarnation of "Tap." Masa's concerns about Aiko's mental health led him to remain close to her for years, although he found himself increasingly unable to change her actions, nor her way of thinking. Medication only served to worsen the situation, and eventually she was placed in detainment. While the friendly relationship between Oliver and Aiko never changed, Masa still has trouble holding conversation with her. A few years after assuming control of the 5th Squadron, Masa met Alyssa Granger, a prospective Saint with whom he developed a relationship, and later married. He has two children with her, the twins Daniel and Naomi Sakamoto. Trivia Masa has been in 5 helicopter crashes, including one for 3 weeks (meant to ICly justify a forced LOA). In fact, Masa boarding a helicopter is a sign of bad luck. The name Masayuki Sakamoto comes from a Japanese-Korean movie called "2009: Lost Memories." There also appear to be actual people named such, but attempts to ask their permission have led to harsh words, shoes and restraining orders being thrown at Mongoose. Category:Characters in Delta Category:Characters in 84th 'Saints' Category:Characters in TechCom Category:Characters in Medical Specialists Category:Characters in Command